Top-Ranked Blue Jays Roll Past Loyola, 17-6

BALTIMORE, Md. -- The top-ranked Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team broke open a close game with an 11-1 run that bridged the second and fourth quarters and the Blue Jays got goals from eight different players in a 17-6 victory over 19th-ranked Loyola at Homewood Field Saturday afternoon. The win is the eighth straight for Hopkins, which ends the regular season with a record of 11-1. Loyola ends the season at 7-6.

Hopkins led just 4-3 after Pat Shek and Stephen Brundage scored back-to-back goals late in the first quarter and early in the second. Hopkins scored the next four goals in a span of six minutes with junior Conor Ford scoring three of the goals during the spree. A Chris Summers goal with 2:33 remaining in the second quarter halted the run for Loyola, but the Blue Jays promptly scored the next seven goals to put the game away.

Senior Adam Doneger made it 9-4 at the half with his second goal of the game late in the second quarter. Doneger then scored the first of six straight JHU goals to open the second half with a tally just one minute into the third quarter off an assist from sophomore Kyle Harrison. Peter LeSueur scored two of his three goals during the run, which also included tallies by Harrison, freshman Greg Peyser and junior Kevin Boland.

Loyola trimmed the 15-4 deficit to 15-6 with back-to-back goals by Stephen Brundage and Jim Fink early in the fourth quarter, but Doneger and sophomore Benson Erwin later scored goals just over three minutes apart to account for the final scoring.

Hopkins threatened to blow the game open early as Ford, LeSueur and Doneger all scored in the first seven minutes to give the Blue Jays a quick 3-0 lead. Loyola's Ryan Fisher and Hopkins' Bobby Benson then traded goals before Shek and Brundage tallied their back-to-back goals to make it 4-3 with just over 12 minutes to play in the second quarter. Ford's two tallies then jump-started the 11-1 run for Hopkins, which held Loyola to just one goal over a span of 29:52 during the run. Hopkins has now had runs of 10-1, 11-0 and 11-1 in the last three games.

Ford's four goals and two assists and Doneger's four goals and one assist led the balanced scoring attack for the Blue Jays. LeSueur added three goals, while Harrison chipped in with two goals and a career-high four assists for a personal best six points. Hopkins outshot Loyola, 57-17 and won the ground ball war, 45-21

Brundage led Loyola with his two goals, while Summers added one goal and one assist. Senior goalie Mark Bloomquist registered 14 saves in goal for the Greyhounds.

Johns Hopkins has now won 11 regular season games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1980 and 1981 and the Blue Jays ran their home winning streak to 18 games. Hopkins was a perfect 7-0 at home this season and outscored its seven opponents at Homewood Field, 112-39.

Johns Hopkins will now await the NCAA Tournament selections, which are due to be announced on Sunday, May 4 at 8:00 pm (ESPN News). If Johns Hopkins is awarded the top seed, it will mark the first time since 1985 and 1986 that Hopkins has earned the top seed in back-to-back years.